{"id":3486,"date":"2025-08-17T23:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T23:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/?p=3486"},"modified":"2025-08-19T14:28:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T14:28:24","slug":"drivers-say-school-zone-cameras-are-fining-them-even-when-lights-never-flash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/17\/drivers-say-school-zone-cameras-are-fining-them-even-when-lights-never-flash\/","title":{"rendered":"Drivers Say School Zone Cameras Are Fining Them Even When Lights Never Flash"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image lazyload\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Gemini_Generated_Image_vyrshhvyrshhvyrs-1024x576-1.jpg\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Florida school zone cameras can ticket drivers even when flashing beacons aren&rsquo;t on.<\/li>\n<li>Hillsborough County drivers have contested 46 tickets this year; none were dismissed.<\/li>\n<li>RedSpeed cameras statewide have generated nearly $32 million in less than a year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Speeding in a school zone when there are kids around is an extremely bad idea, no matter what. Speed limits around schools are meant to keep kids <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/safety\/\">safe<\/a>, but in some cases, school zones are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2025\/07\/phoenix-pays-12m-for-speed-cameras-to-catch-reckless-drivers\/\">just turning into cash grabs<\/a>. That&rsquo;s what several residents in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/florida\/\">Florida<\/a> say, and the details seem to support their frustration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The controversy starts with signs that declare &ldquo;20 mph when flashing.&rdquo; Drivers are getting tickets from speed cameras even when that sign isn&rsquo;t flashing. For example, Joe Weaver says he received a ticket for going 38 mph in what he believed was a 40 mph zone since the sign wasn&rsquo;t flashing. It turns out, the sign in question can&rsquo;t flash because it doesn&rsquo;t have lighting around it to begin with.<\/p>\n<p><strong>More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2025\/08\/greedy-ohio-town-just-had-its-cash-grab-speeding-scam-shut-down\/\">Greedy Ohio Town Just Had Its Cash-Grab Speeding Scam Shut Down<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most would think that Weaver has an open and shut case, then, and that his ticket would get dismissed. Sadly, that&rsquo;s not the case, as Florida law that allows for the use of speed cameras in school zones doesn&rsquo;t require signs to actually flash for the lower speed limit to be in effect and enforced. That&rsquo;s right, the sign can indicate one thing while a driver gets ticketed for the opposite. &ldquo;I got a raw deal,&rdquo; Weaver told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wptv.com\/wptv-investigates\/drivers-who-appeal-new-school-speed-zone-camera-fines-almost-guaranteed-to-lose#google_vignette\">WPTV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article-thumbnails-organic\"><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like this law,&rdquo; said Hillsborough County Magistrate Dr. Tom Santarlas who presides over speed zone camera appeals. Despite his personal view, his hands are somewhat tied: &ldquo;There are times when the legislature falls short of its goal when enacting law; this is one of those times,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p><video width=\"640\" height=\"360\" controls poster=\"https:\/\/cf.cdn.uplynk.com\/ause1\/slices\/111\/45bf940c346f431c9be273b8942ab6eb\/111672661796472db0cc6876a2e3c012\/poster_4cc2d5412ae743d6a7214c9cfc96b632.jpeg\"><\/p>\n<p> Your browser does not support the video tag.<br \/>\n<\/video><\/p>\n<p>Here&rsquo;s the kicker: simply contesting the ticket, which dozens have done in cases just like Weaver&rsquo;s, costs more. One, named Karen Bowman, had to pay an additional $75 just to plead her case. <\/p>\n<p>She received a ticket after going 33 mph in the school zone while the sign was not flashing. She lost her case because, again, the law is written in a way that makes the flashing aspect entirely unimportant despite the language on the sign to the contrary.<\/p>\n<p>Unsurprisingly, David De La Espriella, a client relations director for the speed camera company vendor, thinks everything is going great. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s an excellent law,&rdquo; he said. His employer, RedSpeed, has cameras in 35 jurisdictions in Florida. Across the state, it&rsquo;s issued almost 500,000 tickets, generating some $32 million in under a year. Of those, fewer than 300 have been dismissed. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<div id=\"bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Credit: WPTV<\/h4>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<div id=\"bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida school zone cameras can ticket drivers even when flashing beacons aren&rsquo;t on. Hillsborough County drivers have contested 46 tickets &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/17\/drivers-say-school-zone-cameras-are-fining-them-even-when-lights-never-flash\/\" class=\"more-link\"><span class=\"more-button\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Drivers Say School Zone Cameras Are Fining Them Even When Lights Never Flash<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-offbeat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3486"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3489,"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3486\/revisions\/3489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/opendoorcounselingpa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}